Catamenial appliance



Jan. 22, 1935. l, B HAMMOND 1,989,008

CATAMENIAL APPLIANCE l l Filed Jan,

Patented Jan. Z2, 1935 N, UNITEDSTATES This invention relates to catamenial appliances and more particularly to sanitary shields for use in conjunction withicatamenial bandages, napkins or the like. i Y

Among the objects of my invention may`be noted the provision of a sanitary shield peculiarly adapted for feminine hygiene; the provision of a sanitary shield which requires no pins or fasteners of any kind during Wear; the provision of a sanitary shield which may be `readily associated with a sanitary napkin and which derives its support from the napkin in the normal use thereof; the provision ofa sanitary shield for association with a sanitary napkin, which when properly associated therewith may be removed from and thereafter applied to the body without detaching the shield from the napkin; the provision of a. sanitary shield which is form tting and, when used with a sanitarynapkin, forms a support for'the napkin and at the same time assures comfort to the wearer; the provision of a sanitary shield which is stainless and which contains deodorizing properties; and the provision of a sanitary shield which issimple in manufacture, durable in use, and well able to fulfill the ends for which itl is intended.

Other objectswillbe in part obvious'fromthe annexed `drawing and in part indicated fromY the following analysis of this invention, in which reference is' made to the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment of my idea, in which-- Fig. lis a perspective View of a. sanitary shield in accordanceV with the present invention associated with a sanitary napkin, Withthe ynapkin and shield operatively supportedfroma beltf` or the like as in use. Y l f Fig. 2 is anY under fac View of the shield as illustrated'in Fig.` 1;

Fig. 3 isa sectionalong -lin Fig. 4 is a section through the shield and napkin, which illustrates the shape assumed by the shield V'Referring to the drawing', and particularly-'to Fig. 1, 10 designates" a belt adapted to extend about the'lwaistor hips of the wearer andi provided vwith frontrr and vrear tabs 11- to which the napkin, which' may comprise an obsorbent pad 12 and gauze covering 13, is secured as by pins Orotherwise. It will be understood that the belt or the napkin forms per se no part of the present invention and may be of conventional type and construction. According to the present invention, I provide for association with the napkin a shield of moisture-proof and water-proof material, such es s-a-'or Fig. 2 ,j

shieldserving rup'onexcess fluidV absorption by the pad`12, to protect theclothingof the wearer from stainsor'thelikelY By reference vto-Fig' 2,- the'shield is composed of a sheet or thelikewhich@comprisesV an elon- 5 gated body `vportion 15,having'it's sides which extend in the direction "of its length arranged parallel or substantially iso," and tabs V1'6- extending from the endsofthebodypotion and inthe direction Vofy its* length. `y'I'l'ieparallel sides of Ithe l0 body portion merge intd'the'tabfs 16 through a gradual curver 17. Such configuration of the shield' eliminates i bulky or V'obtruding corners which `'might otherwise show, through outer clothing and at the same timeaddsfcomfort'fto'the i5` wearer.'v l The body portion 15 'is made `o"f"sui`tab'le water-proof and? moisture-proof material', j and among such materials may bementioned :slieeted rubber, 'fabric` frictioned or coatedwithk rubber, or any Vother'Irlateria'l coated or-"treated Afyvith 2o rubber. Theytabs 16`are preferably less elastic than' the jbody portion and" maybe rformed lof pure gum. Where reinforcement ofthe tabs is desired, the gum'tabs maybe reinforcedA with fabric, or provided :with fabric orjmetal inserts.vk

Thefbodylportion isprovided along its parallel sidesI with moldedfedge or bead portionsV 1,8 which manlikabsilrbe-.Qf less'lastic material than the materialfrom-which the, body portion is constituted,l a'nd advantageouslycan be of pure gum. 30 Thesaid'e'dge 18 andithetabs arejoined to the body portion in a singlejoperation as by pressing ina mold; The 'resulting structurev is integral and thus overcomesthe disadvantages incident to the useof cement. which deteriorates with washing, 35 andof stitching which hasbeen found to retain stains-and to be'generallyfunsanitary. ffQonsidering nowthe I nannerof attaching the Shilit the napkin; th'eftabsl are each providedv Witha plurality of'par'allel'slots 20, which 40 areA arranged.` transversely ofthe length ofthe shield, By reference to"Fig.f'1, .the lnapkin covering f1.3,v as conventional', is` substantially long? er than Vthepadf12, the endsA extending forwardlyf-and rearwardly *ofsaid'pad tothe tabsfll o'n 45 supporting vbelt-10i By` the provision ofI Athel tabs -16I having'slot`s 2 0as illustrated, Iam able to ljoin the 'shieldtolthe-hapkin by threading the ends of VAwrapper'or cover 13 of the' padthrough the slots 20. las will be" seen by `reference tofFig; `2', 50' the slots 20 of each tab 16 may be of varying lengths, thus to provide a selection of a slot or slots best suited to the thickness of the stranded or hunched ends of the napkin covering 13. Further, the said ends may be run through adjacent slots, 55

alternate slots, or substantially spaced slots as desired, thus to give within reasonable limits an adjustment which may be necessary for the cornfort of the wearer.

It will be evident that the bunched ends of the fabric covering 13 are gripped by the edges of slots 20. Such a relation is desirable, for it permits that the shield be held in a desired adjusted position along the length of the napkin. In point of fact, I propose that .the edges of slots 20, by suitable proportioning ofthe length of the slots, shall grip the fabric of the napkin covering sufficiently so that as tension is exerted on both ends of the napkin, due to snugly fitting the napkin to the body and connecting to the belt 10, the shield shall also be put under tension. By rea--vv son of the tabs 16 and edges 18 being of less elastic material than the body portion 15 of the shield, and by reason further of the slots 20y being disposed in the relatively less elastic tab portions 16 and transversely of. the. direction of pull.' any such tensioning causes-the shield to elongate along its longitudinal center line, with the edge portions of the tabs 16 and the molded edges 18 resisting such elongation, withthe result that the shield is cradledl upwardly.y The edges, 18 are accordingly drawn tight to the sides of the pad 12 of the napkin, with the shieldthus providing a cradle or concavity snugly fitted about the napkin. By reference to FigA, itwill be seen that as the napkinyis placed in position onthewearer, the napkin will adjust itself to the gure, with the sides of the cradled shield extending upwardly along the sides of the napkin,lthereby to vprotect the body and clothing Yfrom side overflow, and at the same time protecting against channg and irritation, as would normally be caused by the body coming in contact with the sides of the napkin, especially when the napkin has become caked due to heat of the body or inability to make frequent change. Instead, the soft rubber sides lof the shield` are contacted bythe flesh and there exists no possibility of chang. urther,y the resiliency and lightness of the shield are such as to make the wearer unaware of its presence.

Althoughr 1 have illustrated and described above slots 2o of longitudinal yform.apertures of other forms or shapes could be utilized. Thus a plurality of spaced apertures ofcircular or elliptical shape through whichy the fabric'en'ds of the napkin covering 13r are: threaded couldlbe substituted for the slots 20 as shown;

o Advantageously, the'shield during its manufacture is. treated for the purpose .of rendering it stainless or substantially so,l by the addition of certain chemicals. added to the rubber during its compounding, all as known in the prior art in connection with rubberV goods "such as surgeons gloves and the like. It is advantageous also that the rubber making up the shield' be. deodorized by adding to the rubber ,during compounding certain'deodorizing ingredients, which obscure the natural odor of the rubber while at the. same time impart a scent tothe rubber of such nature as to counteract offensive odorcaused by close personal contact or otherwise. 4Among such ingredients as known in the prior art,- the use of. essential oils, generally synthetic, of an organic character has been found satisfactory. It will ofcourse be understood that pigments are added to therubb'er,

and the shield as commercially produced will have a white or flesh color.

The shield when associated with a sanitary napkin as aforesaid requires no extraneous fastoning means, such as pins, buttons or the like. Its connection with the napkin is such that the napkin and shield may be removed from the body without detaching the shield from the napkin, with the shield retaining its original position thereon for reapplication to the body. y

Without further analysisthe foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and therefore such adaptations should -and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Al sanitary shield comprising an elongated elastic rubber sheet having molded tabs at the ends thereof and the tabs being each provided with a series of apertures through which may be threaded the ends of a sanitary napkin, the edges of the sheet which extend in the direction of its length being merged into said tabs, with said tabs and edges being so constituted as to offer greater resistance to tension than the body portion of the sheet, and saidapertures being disposed transversely of the length of the sheet whereby tension on the tabs causes elongation of the shield along its longitudinal center line relative to the molded edges of the sheet, with the shield assuming a concave shape in cross section.

2. A sanitary shield comprising an elongated elastic rubber sheet having molded tabs at the ends thereof, the tabs being each provided with a series of apertures through which may be threaded the ends of a sanitary napkin, the sheet being provided with molded edges extending in the direction of its length and merging into said tabs, said tabs and edges being so constituted as to offer greater resistance to tension than the body portion of the sheet, and said apertures being disposed transversely of the length of the sheet whereby tension on the tabs causes elongation of the shield along its longitudinal center line relative to the molded edges of the sheet, with the shield assuming a concave shape in cross section.

3; A shield for use in association with a sanitary napkin, the shield being composed of a deodorized and scented elastic rubber sheet, said sheet being elongated and provided with molded longitudinal edges which merge into end tabs, said tabs being each provided with a series of parallel slots arranged transversely of the length of the sheet and through which the ends of the napkin may be threaded, the disposition of the slots Yand their relation to'fsaid tabs and edges being such that as tension is exerted on the tabs the shield is elongated along its longitudinal center line relative to the molded edges, whereby the shield assumes a concave shape in cross section.

INA B. HAIWMOND. 

